George Bellows
(1882 - 1925)

Dempsey and Firpo
Lithograph, 1923-24
Ref Mason 181
Signed in pencil, "Bolton Brown, imp"
Signed in pencil, "Geo Bellows"
Signed in ink, "OK, Jack Dempsey"
Signed in ink on mat, "To Phil and Josephine, Always the Best, Sincerely Jack Dempsey 1/1/31"
Signed in ink on mat, "To Philip Boyer, Sincerely L. Firpo, 12/8/31"
$115,000

Among the many subjects found in Bellows' lithographs, it is the images of boxing that brought his greatest acclaim. An accomplished athlete himself, Bellows used the sport of boxing to convey the camaraderie and competitiveness with which he was familiar as an athlete and artist. The human figures in motion, a fevered crowd of spectators, and the personalities that defined the spectacle all characterized the boxing images as powerful in their ability to make the viewer feel as though they were ringside.

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